I just got back from a week in Georgia visiting good friends who used to live in our neighborhood.

Because of my friend starting a new job he wasn’t able to Captain his boat so I got to be the boat driver all week for our families.

The experience made me realize just how much I miss boating and how fun it is to be on the water with my family and friends.

My wife and I have been considering buying a boat for years. Some of you might remember some of the threads from a few years ago and how I came incredibly close to buying a Regal 2100 LSR until I discovered hull damage.

Bayliner



My friend has Bayliner Capri 2000. Growing up on the water and spending countless hours with my grandfather boating the Bayliner brand was one that we didn’t exactly hold in high esteem.

Well that Capri 2000 shocked me. My friends have not exactly babied their boat and have done just about everything you can do wrong including dragging it up the ramp with the stern drive trimmed all the way down. And yet they have not been able to kill this boat or even inflict much harm upon it.

Their Bayliner is in my eyes a pretty damn good beater boat. It’s reliable, good at towing a tube and has a decent deck plan.

Looking at similar boats they are becoming affordable again and prices seem to be dropping compared to previous years.

Grady White





This brand has always intrigued me. Made in North Carolina they are primarily fishing boats but I found one while in Beaufort NC a few weeks ago that I like. It has an outboard like my first boat, it’s a bow rider (which my wife loves) so it’s family friendly and the dual console layout makes it somewhat similar to the Capri 2000.

I don’t see a ton of Grady Whites in my neck of the woods in North Carolina but they occasionally show up for sale. I am not super thrilled about buying one that’s been run in salt water.

Regal 2100 LSR





The final boat we are looking at is the one that tempts me the most. I already came VERY close to buying one just like the one I am currently considering. I’d prefer and outboard but getting a fuel injected 5.0 V8 and a stepped hull makes up for the lack of an outboard…at least I think it does. I do worry that I’ll later regret not getting an outboard.

The Regal LSR has all the stuff I like about the Bayliner but in a larger and more powerful package. I LOVE the hull design too.

The Bayliner would be most affordable.

The Grady White is the closest to my ideal boat.

The Regal looks like a super fun boat we would never outgrow and would have room to bring friends.


I know it’s subjective but if you wanted to get a boat for the lakes you live nearby to enjoy with your family which of these three would you go with?

I've been partial to Grady White boats myself, as I'm coastal and they do very well in salt water environments.

I would suggest a good inspection, but if it's been flushed properly I don't see any major issues with it having salt exposure.

Most people I know consider Bayliner (under 35') to be inexpensive compared to other boats but also much lower in quality. I know quite a few people that bought them as a first boat and couldn't wait to get rid of them in fairly short order.

I'm not familiar with Grady White and only know a little about Regal.

I think Grady white would hold value best. They have a very good reputation.

Grady White is the best option of those you’ve listed. Looks likes it is an outboard, so if you’re worried about saltwater, consider a re-power.

Remember-with an I/O, you’ve a great big hole below the waterline should a problem develop.

I like the Regal. My neighbor has one, and it seems like a well made boat. I just bought a Mastercraft X-30. It could be that the Regal pictured looks the most like an X-30 that makes it appealing to me.

I'd go for the Regal. The seating is better for family / friends. A rear bench seat is a must for me. Women/girls will appreciate the rear sundeck. The swim platform is more useful. Build quality should be better than the Bayliner. If your kids get in to wakeboarding, you can get a rack to hold the boards on the tower to keep the boat uncluttered. The Monster Tower thats on it is solid.

Without any other details, the Grady-White hands down. Especially if you are going to do any fishing. I would find out if the ski pylon will pull a tube or wakeboarder. A lot of them specifically say not to.

On the other hand, I’m guessing the Grady-White is double the price or more. When I was looking about 5 years ago, the 235 and 255 were on my short list. I wound up with a freshwater Formula 260BR with a wake tower and only 43 hours.

I don’t know how old your kids are, but will warn you that if the are young, they grow. Some of the smaller bow riders look great when the kids are 4, 6, and 8. Not so much when they are 12, 14, and 16 and want to bring friends.

What’s the deadrise on the three? I’ll bet the Grady-White has the most and will be a boat that you can take out in the greatest variety of conditions.

Grady White, hands down. The others are lake boats. The Grady is an ocean boat you can run on a lake.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I don’t see a ton of Grady Whites in my neck of the woods in North Carolina...

That is where they are made. On a scale of 1 to 10, a Grady White would be 9 or higher, Bayliner a 2 or 3. Bayliner are simply not high quality boats, Grady White are extremely high quality.

Bayliners are a beginner boat, produced for a price point. when taken care of they can be a good boat. won't hold up as well as a higher quality boat in the long run. Resale will be low

owned by Brunswick who also makes Sea Ray and Boston Whaler and own mercury motors. they have a bunch of boat lines

Yeah I know they are made here so you would think I’d see lots of them for sale locally, I don’t. They are coastal boats. I’m pretty far inland and don’t see many models I like for sale near my location. I would be running it on lakes 90% of the time and want to buy one that’s been run on a lake rather than drive to the coast and get one that’s been in salt water all it’s life.

I had a 27' Grady White with twin 250's for about 6 years until 2000. It was the biggest boat I could get that I could trailer. My boys and I, and many guests, were out fishing or diving on that boat almost every weekend. We fished out of Clearwater and generally ranged 25-75 miles offshore. We also took it once across the Straits of Florida to South Bimini. I sold that boat to a ships captain for almost what I had paid for it 6 years before. The quality, safety, and ride of the Grady White in that class of boat is unsurpassed. The only boat that comes close is the Boston Whaler. They come at a price but if you put your loved ones on the boat they are worth it.

Regal has a pretty good reputation. Based on what I knew of them in the day, Bayliners are cheaply made for the low end market. Probably ok for lake use but I would never rely on one for an offshore boat.

quote:

Originally posted by KDR:
I'd go for the Regal. The seating is better for family / friends. A rear bench seat is a must for me. Women/girls will appreciate the rear sundeck. The swim platform is more useful. Build quality should be better than the Bayliner. If your kids get in to wakeboarding, you can get a rack to hold the boards on the tower to keep the boat uncluttered. The Monster Tower thats on it is solid.

That would be my choice, The Grady White looks like a fishing boat the others like a family weekend lake boat, the Regal looks like it's better in all categories, sun, ski, cruising...

I would rate Grady,then Regal then a Bayliner. As mentioned the Bayliner is a great boat to beat on and a good beginner boat. Long term I would do the other two.

Stickman: Do you know how they get the boats up on those wooden runners/skids shown with the Grady White? Don't want to derail your thread, just interested in how it is done.

quote:

Originally posted by jgerge222:
Stickman: Do you know how they get the boats up on those wooden runners/skids shown with the Grady White? Don't want to derail your thread, just interested in how it is done.

Forklift

No on Bayliner

Yes on Grady White

No opinion or experience with Regal.

I've now sold my boat, a Whaler, after having several, simply because I am getting older. but I lived in moats fishing and skiing for many, many years here in Florida.

I never owned a Bay Liner and never would. They were, IMO, the bargain boat for folks new to boating or who just moved near the water or who simply couldn't afford a better boat.

But, Grady Whites were always among the best, IMO, lots more expensive, but you don't trade in your boat every few years like you might an automobile.

My friend has two and they are probably 15+ years old and as nice as they were when he bought them.

If it were me, and I could afford it, I'd buy about anything before a Bayliner.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
Most people I know consider Bayliner (under 35') to be inexpensive compared to other boats but also much lower in quality.

I'm not familiar with Grady White and only know a little about Regal.

I think Regal is going to fall into that category as well.

Realize everyone can't swing a Cobalt for occasional use, but do consider both resale and construction in a purchase. When we last bought a new boat ~20 years ago, Chaparral was a solid mid-grad contender, as is Sea Ray. We ended up with a Bryant due reputation and it having, literally, not a piece of wood in it anywhere. Their quality has been a little more suspect after a recent sale to Correct Craft in 2017.

Definitely consider water conditions where you'll be as well. For a small lake a small boat can work. For Lake Lanier outside ATL a small boat is virtually unusable.

Consider tri-toons as well. Good speed and handling, and better ride in chop.